The Bookstore at The End of The Road
by timelordonacloud
Summary: The Doctor and his brother are co-owners of TARDIS, a beautiful old bookstore sitting at the end of the road. One cold night, a pretty girl walks in so she can warm up. She didn't expect to stay for more than a few hours, but her and the Doctor quickly become close. Mostly Whouffle, but there's some Ten/Rose in there too.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is my first fanfic ever, (that I've posted at least) so I'm really nervous about putting it up. I ended up cutting out a lot of the Rose and Clara scenes after I realized they didn't make sense, but I'll be putting them back in during later chapters, if you guys want me to continue that is. I hope you guys like it, and feel free to give me creative criticisms so I can improve my writing. **

**Edit: I made an account on because I know some people who prefer to read it on there instead of tumblr, so hello, new people who may or may not find this story. **

**Chapter One**

TARDIS Book Store had been around for as long as anyone could remember. The Doctor can remember spotting the dark blue doors whenever he walked down the street as a little boy, tugging at his brother's sleeve, silently asking permission to go in. His brother never said no, for he loved the store too, and they would spend hours in there every day, getting lost in the maze of bookshelves, sitting cross legged on the floor to read anything from fairy tales to biographies of famous historical figures. The store is too old for anyone to even remember what TARDIS stands for, but no one seems to mind not knowing, it's just always been that way. The Doctor loved the little shop at the end of the road. He loved the rundown look of the outside and he loved the cluttered shelves on the inside. Which is why, when the store was in danger of being closed forever, he convinced his brother to take what was left of their parent's money and buy the place with him.

He was alone stacking shelves one Wednesday afternoon when he heard banging from the door.

"Hello? Is anyone in there? The door won't open and there's a blizzard out here!" Came a muffled voice from outside, causing The Doctor to furrow his brows. They were open, as far as he knew, no one had locked the door since Rose opened up this morning. "It's open! Come on in!" He called, sticking his head out from in between the bookshelves, to watch the figure through the tinted windows of the door. It hadn't sounded like one of the usual customers, and it wasn't very often someone new came around. He couldn't see much, but from what he could make out it was a young woman, almost a foot shorter than him. Definitely not one of the regulars, then.

When the only reply he got were more knocks on the door, he sighed, putting aside all the books he was still holding and making a mental note to put them away later. "Alright! I'm coming!"

He made his way to the door, a gust of cold wind hitting him as soon as he opened it. Was it snowing? It seemed a bit early to be this cold, but the open door made him want to go get his purple tweed jacket from the front desk. Turning his attention to the girl that had been standing outside, he noticed with a frown that she looked freezing.

"Oh! Come on in, you look cold. Uh, sorry about the door, it must have gotten stuck or something." He addressed the short, brown haired girl, trying his best not to notice how pretty she was. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, snow stuck to her hair and eyelashes, and she held her arms close to her, as if to preserve body warmth.

"Thanks, I was getting buried in snow out there." She smiled at him, showing off the dimple that appeared on her cheek.

The Doctor smiled back, but he couldn't help noticing how cold she looked. "You're gonna catch a cold like that... I could get you some blankets if you want, and some tea. It'll help you warm up." He offered, already moving towards the stairs at the back of the shop leading to the flat on the second floor.

"You don't have to... It's enough to just let me hang out here for a bit."

"No, it's alright, I'll be just a second, you can hang your coat on the door." He told her, not waiting for her reply before heading up the stairs. He stopped right before the top, realizing he'd forgotten something.

"What's your name?" He said, coming back down.

"Clara."

"Nice name, Clara. You should definitely keep it."

She raised her eyebrows, amused. "And what's /your/ name?"

"You can just call me The Doctor."

"Doctor? Doctor who?"

He smirked at her question, having heard it many times before. "Doctor John Smith. Well, I'm not really a doctor. I'm just John Smith. But that name's awfully boring, so everyone just calls me Doctor. It's one of those nicknames you can't really remember how you got, but it stuck around."

She giggled at his explanation, shaking her head slightly.

When he finally came back, balancing two mugs of tea and a bundle of blankets, Clara had already shed her coat, as well as the scarf and gloves she had been wearing. Currently she was standing by the fantasy section, holding a book in both hands and reading the summary on the back.

"Oh! Harry Potter! I loved that book when I was a kid. One of the best series out there." He commented, putting the mugs down on the front desk, and walking towards the girl.

"I wouldn't know, I've never read any of the books. Always wanted to, but never got around to it." She shrugged.

The Doctor gasped, throwing the blankets at one of the arm chairs set up in the small reading area. "But- but it's Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling! Come on, you've got to read the books sometime in your life. Tell you what, I've got my private copy of the first book upstairs, you can borrow it!" He smiled happily, pointing at the stairs with one hand. She raised an eyebrow at him, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smirk. "Trying to get me upstairs already? There's such a thing as too eager, Chin boy."

"I- No! That... That's not what I meant!" He sputtered, the smile falling off his face and his hands immediately moving to scratch at his jaw. "And there's nothing wrong with my chin!" He defended.

"You could poke someone's eye out with that." She told him, her expression revealing she was only just teasing him. "Besides, it kind of works for you." She admitted, successfully making The Doctor blush.

"Thank you, I think." He said softly, before remembering why she was still there in the first place. "Right, we should get you warmed up, you already look like you have a cold."

Gesturing for her to sit down on one of the couches, he quickly fetched the two cups of tea and some of the Jammie Doggers he always kept in the front desk.

"Here you go." He handed her a cup of tea, sitting next to her on the couch and setting the plate of cookies between them. She'd already grabbed the blankets from the arm chair and covered herself with them, leaving one out for The Doctor to use.

They talked for hours then, sipping tea and eating Jammie Doggers, only stopping for refills. He would tell her wonderful stories he'd read in books, and she would listen intently, laughing, gasping or nodding at all the right moments. She teased him a lot, but she could tell he didn't mind, and occasionally he teased her back. It was only after the storm had died down and the sky had gone dark that they said their goodbyes.

"Thank you, Doctor, for everything. No one else on this street was even open."

"Well, that's me, always here to help." He beamed at her, walking with her to the front door. "Goodnight, Clara."

"Goodnight, Doctor."

Next Wednesday, she came again. But this time, he wasn't the only one working.

"Good morning!" Greeted a voice as soon as she walked through the door, but it definitely wasn't The Doctor's voice.

"Good morning." Clara greeted back, although she wasn't exactly sure who she was talking to.

Suddenly, a blonde woman appeared from in between the rows of bookshelves. "You're not one of our regulars." She noted, pointing at Clara.

"Uh, no. I'm Clara, I met The Doctor last Wednesday, and he told me I could borrow one of his books." She told her, hoping the woman would be able to help her find him.

"Oh! Yeah, he's told me about you." The woman grinned, her tongue sticking out in between her teeth just slightly. "I'll just... Go get him for ya." She said, taking a couple slow steps backward before turning on her heel and heading up quickly up the stairs.

Clara could hear a muffled conversation coming from above, a smile crawling on her face when she heard The Doctor's voice. She stepped closer to the stairs, curiosity getting the best of her, but before she could really make out what she was hearing, a man wearing a bowtie came running down the stairs and right into her.

They both fell to the ground, The doctor holding himself up with his arms to stop from crushing her, but still hovering over her rather closely.

"Hi." He breathed, his face turning a light shade of pink.

"Hi." She replied simply.

"Sorry about running into you, I just couldn't stop myself in time."

"It's alright. Although usually, a guy has already taken me out on a date before we find ourselves in this position. Granted, in those cases the situation usually includes a bed, and much less clothing." She teased, knowing it would make him blush and stutter.

"I- You- I'm not... Shut up!" He said, scrambling to get off her and back on his feet before helping her up and making sure she was okay.

Clara let out a laugh, enjoying as her desired affects took place. They had become quick friends last week, and had exchanged numbers before the night was over. Since then they'd been texting almost non-stop about everything and nothing. The Doctor wasn't used to having friends he could talk to this easily, and while he wasn't exactly ready to share his deepest secrets with Clara, he having someone he could laugh and joke around with. She was funny, she was pretty, always exactly what he needed after a long day. Perfect.

"So, Doctor, the book?" She reminded him after a moment of silence filled with nothing but the two of them smiling brightly at each other.

"Oh! Right, the book! It's on the top shelf in the used section, right there." He pointed out a specific bookshelf to her, and they made their way there together.

At first, Clara tried to grab the book herself, but even when she stretched her arm and went on her toes, she couldn't reach the top shelf. "Damn it." She frowned, turning to glare at The Doctor when she heard him stifling a laugh.

He stopped immediately when he saw the look on her face, stepping closer in order to grab the book himself. He stood behind Clara and reached up easily, plucking the book from the shelf and holding it out to Clara.

"There you go, the new book by Amelia Williams." He smiled at the bright happy look on her face when she took the book from him.

"Yes! I've been waiting ages to read this! Thank you, thank you." She took him by surprise when she jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm hug.

His own arms flailed around for a moment, not sure what to do, until he finally wrapped them around her waist. "Yeah, no problem."

They stayed in each others arms for a moment longer, until Clara hesitantly pulled away. The hug had already lasted longer than it usually would for two friends, and although she liked it a lot, she didn't want to get too used to it.

"You know, Amy's already working on a new book."

"Amy? You call Amelia Williams Amy?"

"Oh yeah, she's a good friend. I knew her when she was Amelia Pond." He told her, proud of himself for finding something to impress her.

"She's really your friend?" Clara's eyes widened. Amelia Williams was her absolute favorite author right now, she'd read all of her books, even the ones that were really meant for children.

"Of course she is! I knew her when she still lived around here. I still go visit her in New York sometimes."

"Oh, meeting her would be a dream!" Clara said wistfully.

"I could arrange that!" The Doctor suddenly got really excited, clapping his hands together once. "Next time she visits me, I could ask her to come to the shop! And you'll get to meet her!"

"Really? You would do that?"

"Of course I would. Anything for a friend" He told her sweetly.

A few hours later they were sitting in the reading area again, quietly enjoying each other's company and occasionally reading out load from their books. Technically, The Doctor was supposed to be working, but every time a customer came in through the doors Rose would take care of it before he could even get up.

"Sit down and stop worrying, I've got it covered and besides, this is probably the first time you've had a break since you bought the store." She told him when he tried to help, nudging him back towards Clara and the empty spot on the couch right beside her.

When a man in a brown suit walked in however, Rose's face lit up, and she ran over to the man, wrapping her arms around him. "You're back!"

"'Course I am, didn't think I was going to leave you here with my bow tie wearing brother forever did you?"

"Hey! Bow ties are cool" The Doctor butted in, his hands flying to straighten the fabric around his neck. Giggling, Clara noticed he wasn't doing a very good job and brought up a hand to help him.

"Right, whatever you say John." He waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss him before turning back to Rose. "Oh, I wish you could have come with us, there was fireworks, and a helicopter, and a runaway hot air balloon, but Donna spent the whole time looking for a date to the wedding."

"Well you've got all the time in the world to tell me about it. Come on, you must have jet lag right now, why don't we go lie down upstairs?" She suggested, a twinkle in her eye making it known that taking a nap wasn't exactly what she was talking about.

"Oh... Oh! Yes, definitely let's go upstairs." He responded immediately, letting her take his hand and lead him to the stairs before finally catching sight of Clara, who was watching the exchange silently. "Who are you?"

"I'm Clara Oswald, I'm a friend of The Doctor." She explained.

"Nice to meet you Clara, I'm David, his brother." He smiled at her before turning away, disappearing up the stairs with Rose.

The Doctor sighed, it looked like his break was over. "He just had to show up and take Rose away right before the busiest time of the day." He muttered, moving off the couch.

"Well if yo need help, it's my day off from caring for Angie and Artie... I could stay a bit longer and help out." She offered.

"I couldn't ask you to stay, I'm sure you have better things to do that hang out with an old guy and sell books all day."

"Old guy?! You don't look more than a couple years older than me, mister." She pointed out, her hand going to settle on her hips.

"Okay fine, young guy. Compared to other ages I could be."

Clara laughed, she'd gotten used to him saying things like that, and so she didn't question it as she moved over to the desk at the front of the store. "Come on chin boy, if I'm going to help out around here all day you're gonna have to teach me how to check people out."

**A/N: So what did you think? Obviously I'm not the best writer but I still like to do it occasionally, for myself at least. If you guys want the next chapter let me know what you thought of this one, and what I can do to improve. The next chapter will be the continuation of their day together, and maybe some Rose/Clara interaction, plus more Ten, Jack, and possibly Donna.**

**Alright that's it, thank you so much for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I finally decided on an ending for this chapter yay! Thank you to everyone who reviewed on tumblr and on , you guys are all amazing and I love you! Like always, creative criticism is welcomed, I want to do my best for you all. **

**Chapter Two**

"Come on Chin Boy, stop fooling around."

"I'm not fooling around! I'm making a display, it'll attract customers!"

"If you keep trying to stack the books like that they're going to fall on you." Clara warned, raising an eyebrow at the man currently attempting to stack most of the books in the mystery section into the shape of the Eiffel Tower. The books swayed dangerously, but instead of stepping back, the Doctor just kept adding more books.

"Alright fine, but when those books do fall, I'm not helping you clean up." She told him, knowing full well she would probably help him anyway.

He would have replied with something clever, but before he could think of what to say, the bell above the front door rang, signaling that someone had just entered the shop. Turning his head towards the door, he saw the one and only Jack Harkness walk in. The Doctor groaned, knowing exactly what the man was here for, Rose had probably texted him about Clara, and he was here to check her out.

It wasn't very often the Doctor made friends outside their little group. Sure, he was friendly with a lot of people, but no one close enough with him that they hung around the shop as often as Clara had recently.

Currently, Clara was smiling politely at Jack as he walked over to her, probably thinking of him as just another customer.

"Well, Hello there. I'm Jack. Captain Jack Harkness." He greeted, shooting her a beaming smile.

"Jack, stop it." Said the Doctor, a warning tone in his voice.

"I'm only saying hello!"

"Oh, it's fine, I don't mind." Interrupted Clara, smirking at the Doctor before turning back to Jack. "I'm assuming you two know each other then?"

Jack nodded, moving closer to the Doctor in order to put an arm around his shoulders. "Oh yes, me and the Doc, we go way back."

"Jack, you're squeezing too tight. It hurts." The Doctor groaned, causing Clara to giggle.

"I'm Clara. It's nice to meet you, Captain." She said.

The Doctor frowned and moved away from the man beside him, shrugging his arm off his shoulders. "He's not actually a captain." He pointed out.

But Jack ignored him, taking Clara's hand and bringing it to his lips. "Pleasure's all mine, Clara." He winked, enjoying the Doctor's reaction to his flirting. He seemed to get overly protective, stepping closer to Clara and glaring at Jack.

"Clara you can't just let him flirt with you. He's Jack."

"Is that supposed to mean anything?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep the smirk off her face.

"He flirts with everyone! And he's good at it... and you're working... Yeah, that's it! No, flirting with the customers."

Clara wanted to be make some snappy remark about how she wasn't about to start taking orders from him and how she didn't even work there anyway, she was just helping out. But the jealousy in the Doctor's voice had been obvious to both the other people in the room, and as soon as Clara and Jack looked at each other, they fell into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, come on Doc, lighten up. I'm not here to make a move on your girl." Jack told him, chuckling under his breath.

"No, she- she's not... it's not like that yet- I mean..." Clara nudged him lightly with her elbow to shut him up, a brush crawling up to his face.

Jack just laughed, sending a wink in Clara's direction. "Yeah, yeah, alright."

Clara looked down at her feet, trying to hid the genuine smile that was sneaking onto her expression. '_It's not like that yet. Yet.' _So there was a chance of it happening later then. '_Try not to get your hopes up Clara.'_ She reminded herself.

It was at that moment that David came down the stairs, his hair a mess and his tie hanging loosely over his neck. It was no secret what he and Rose had been up to since they'd gone up to the flats above the store.

"Jack!"

"David"

The two men embraced for a moment before Jack stepped back to look him over. "Already gotten your welcome back present from Rose I see." He said, David's blush only confirming what he already knew.

"Well I was gone for a long time, we missed each other."

"I bet you did."

"Alright, alright, we can talk about my trip later, I only came down to fetch Rose's phone." He said, walking towards the desk and grabbing said phone off the top. Giving them all a quick wave goodbye, he made his way back up the stairs, successfully avoiding any further questions Jack would have asked to embarrass him.

"Aw, well he's no fun." Jack turned back to the Doctor and Clara only to find them standing a bit closer than was necessary, Clara with a smirk on her face, and the Doctor looking down at Clara. Jack would be willing to bet he hadn't even bothered looking up at David, and had just been watching Clara the whole time.

Trying not to laugh, Jack began a slow walk to the door, calling over his shoulder as he went. "I should get going, the gang's probably waiting for me at work, and besides, I wouldn't want to intrude on your alone time."

They said their goodbyes as Jack walked out the door, the Doctor a bit more enthusiastic than Clara.

"Did he really come over here just to tease you about me?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"I imagine he'll say he was here to say hello to David after his trip but... yes, yes he did."

Clara let out a laugh, a sound which never failed to bring a smile onto his face. Soon enough, he was laughing along with her.

"Does he do that every time he finds out you've been hanging out with a new girl?" She asked, in between giggles.

"Every time. And if he's not here to do it then Rose or Amy will." He admitted.

Clara tried to keep her tone playful and teasing, but she couldn't help but want to know the answer to her next question. "And that happens often? You meeting new girls?"

"Not really... I mean, the last girl they decided was a potential girlfriend was almost a year ago now."

Clara grinned, liking his answer. "Potential girlfriend, eh? I knew you liked me." She teased.

The Doctor stammered for a moment, before pointing a finger at her. "Just- shut up."

Clara laughed, turning away from him to walk towards the pile of books that still needed to be stacked.

"You didn't deny it!" She called over her shoulder.

The next couple hours passed by rather quickly after that, and before they knew it, it was closing time. They'd spent the rest of the day working, occasionally taking breaks by the reading area of the shop. The Doctor finished off his book tower, showing it off proudly before Clara asked what would happen if someone wanted to buy one of the books he's used. Obviously, the Doctor hadn't thought of that.

The Doctor walked Clara to the door, the keys in his hand so he could lock up after she left.

"So, I'll see you next Wednesday?" He asked hopefully.

"Or earlier. I saw some books Artie might like, I'll have to bring him here so he can pick one out."

The Doctor beamed, elated that she seemed to want to spend as much time with him as she wanted to spend with her. "Yes, that's a good idea. Bring Artie."

Clara giggled, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around him. "I'll see you later Doctor." she said, before pulling away.

"Goodnight, Clara."

It was only two days later that Clara showed up again. She knew the Doctor wouldn't expect to see her yet, but Angie and Artie were both having tea with their friends, so she had a couple hours off.

She walked into the shop with a smile, sending a small wave towards Rose.

"Here to see the Doctor?" The blonde asked, frowning.

"Yes, actually. I had some time off and nothing better to do." She said, chuckling a bit until she noticed the look on the other woman's face. "Is he not here?"

"No, sorry, him and David went up to pick up some weird tools they bought on the internet. A pair of glow in the dark screwdrivers."

"Glow in the dark screwdrivers?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's just as dorky as it sounds."

At that, both women burst out laughing.

"I bet you the Doctor will think it's just as cool as his bow ties."

"Oh yeah, and they'll carry those things around wherever they go!"

Their words set off another round of giggles, lasting until they both finally settled down.

"Well, they shouldn't be too long now, fifteen minutes at the most." Rose said, glancing up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Fancy a cup of tea while you wait?"

Clara nodded, moving towards the reading area to sit down. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Alright, back in a mo'"

Five minutes later, both women were sat on the small couch, each with a cup of tea in their hands. Clara asked Rose about David, and she explained how they'd met when she was working at a shop. He'd come in to talk with the main technician of the building, and they'd gotten stuck in an elevator while they were both heading to the basement. After that, they'd gone traveling together, as friends at first, but their relationship grew from there.

"What about you, you've been getting pretty close with the Doctor."

"Oh, me and him? No, we're not together."

"But you'd like to be?"

Clara didn't answer, bringing the cup she held up to her lips instead. Of course she'd like to be with the Doctor, he was funny, and charming, and even with his chin, he was still very good looking. But she wasn't entirely sure how he felt about her, if he wanted to be just friends then she was fine with that.

"So, you've travelled then? I've always wanted to travel." She tried to change the subject.

"Yes, the Doctor mentioned that. He mentions you a lot actually." Rose said, smiling cheekily.

"Really?"

Before Rose could answer Clara's question, they heard the bell above the door signaling that David and the Doctor were back. The men walked through the door, both showing off their screwdrivers to each other. It sounded like they were arguing about who's screwdriver was better.

"Mine's green! Green is much better than blue."

"Mine glows brighter!"

"No it doesn't"

"Boys, stop fighting!" Rose interrupted. She moved off the couch towards them. "they're just screwdrivers."

Both men instantly forgot about the argument, jumping instead to the defense of their precious tools.

"Oi! It's not just any screwdriver, Rose. It's sonic!" David said, pushing a button on the side of the handle to make a pulsating noise.

The Doctor nodded, pushing the button on his own screwdriver to join in. "You can also change the tip according to what you need it for." he added.

It was then that he noticed Clara, standing up from the couch with a smirk on her face. He beamed at her, leaving Rose and his brother behind in favor of Clara.

"Clara!" He greeted, pulling her into a tight hug. "Where's Artie? Is here?" He asked, looking around the bookstore to see if he could spot a little boy.

"No, no, he's not here. I had some time off, and I already finished the book you gave me." She smiled up at him.

"Oh, great! You can help me test this out!" He said, holding up the screwdriver so she could see.

Clara was about to suggest they do something else, but before she could, the Doctor grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her up the stairs behind him. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

**A/N: Okay guys, I have a question for you, what should whouffle get up to next? I was thinking more one on one time for them, but suggestions would be awesome!**

**Until next time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know I took way too long to update this, but I've been really busy with school and surprisingly, a social life. I'm really sorry I made you guys wait so long! **

**Thank you to anyone who reviewed or suggested things for later chapters! :)**

**Chapter 3**

It was dark out by the time The Doctor finished showing off his brand new screwdriver to Clara, much later than she usually stayed. She would have just taken the subway home alone, but the Doctor was having none of that.

"I'll drive you home, it's dark out." He offered.

"It's alright, Doctor. I can take care of myself." She told him. "Besides, you live right upstairs, you'd just have to come right back anyway."

"It'll be worth the trip. Come on, you haven't seen my car yet." He said excitedly.

"Oh no, you're not one of those guys who's obsessed with his car are you?"

"No!"

"You named it didn't you?"

"Yes but... I... Oh, shut up."

Clara smirked, following him out the door towards a dark blue car parked right outside. It was a small, beat up Ford Mondeo, and it was in desperate need of a wash.

"I don't use her much, but she's reliable." The Doctor beamed, looking from the car to Clara, who's lips were turned up in amusement.

"So what's her name?" She asked teasingly.

"Idris." He responded immediately, before realizing what she was doing. "Hey! A lot of people name their cars you know!"

Clara let out a laugh, and the Doctor couldn't stop himself from smiling when the sound hit his ears.

"Just get in."

The drive was full of their usual jokes and teasing, but far too soon, the Doctor turned into the correct street. He slowly pulled up in front of the house Clara pointed out, before turning in his seat so he could face her. Their day together had been fun, Clara had even enjoyed herself when they were trying out the sonic screwdriver, and now neither of them wanted to say goodnight.

He had to admit, it felt like taking a girl home at the end of an amazing date.

"This is my stop." Said Clara, but she still made no move to get out of the car.

"Yeah, it is." The Doctor smiled at her. There was a moment of silence before he finally asked, "I'll see you this Wednesday?"

"I'll see you then." Clara smiled widely at him, reaching to give his hand a short squeeze before unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car. She gave him a small wave through the window once the door was closed, and headed towards the front door of the house.

He couldn't keep the smile off his face the whole way back home.

Sick. He was sick. John Smith, the Doctor, the man with an impeccable immune system, was sick in bed with the flu.

He groaned, turning over in his bed so he was lying down on his stomach. He hated this feeling, of being vulnerable and exhausted, absolutely hated it. Not for the first time in his life, he found himself wishing he wasn't human, maybe if he was of some far superior alien race, he wouldn't be stuck inside all day.

He could hear voices that floated up from the bookstore downstairs, his brother laughing and talking with customers, making sales and happily walking around without having to carry a box of tissues. He frowned, desperately wishing he could be down there with him.

There was a knock on the door, but the Doctor couldn't find it in himself to answer it with anything but a groan, the sound muffled by his pillow.

He heard the door creak open, but he didn't have the energy to turn his head. He just wanted to sleep through this flu, maybe tomorrow he would wake up feeling okay again.

"Doctor? How're you feeling?" A soft voice he recognized well asked, and he finally turned his head so he could smile at the woman who'd been constantly on his mind recently.

"Clara... I'm fine, really. It's nothing I can't handle." He tried to sound confident, but his voice came out nasally.

The corners of Clara's lips turned up in a small smile, and she closed the door softly behind her before moving closer to the bed as he turned again so he was on his back, that way, he could look at her properly.

"You look terrible." She noted, leaning down to sweep a clump of hair off his forehead. His face was tinted a light pink colour, and a thin layer of sweat covered his skin.

"Thanks."

Letting out a soft laugh, Clara sat on the edge of the bed, being careful not to take up too much room.

"I came to give back the book I borrowed last week." She told him, gesturing to the door. "I left it with David, he told me to come up and check up on you."

"Oh! Did you like it? I thought it was brilliant!" He pushed himself up a bit, so he was leaning on the headboard while he talked to her.

"It was great. Except the end... did she really have to get stuck in a parallel universe?" She frowned, shaking her head. "I much prefer a happy ending."

"Not everything has a happy ending Clara." He said seriously, before he had to cover his face in order to sneeze. He groaned softly, reaching for a tissue from the box on his bedside table.

"Clara, you should probably go. I don't want to get you sick." He looked at her, urging her to go with his eyes.

Clara just shook her head. "And miss the first chance I've had to be with you when you're _not _wearing a bow tie? I don't think so." She smirked, looking the simple grey t-shirt he was wearing. "How about I make you some soup?"

"Clara, you don't have to take care of me." He told her.

"I'm a nanny, it's my job to take care of people." She reminded him softly, smiling at him and standing up from the bed. "Now rest up, I'll be right back."

With that, Clara left the room and headed to the kitchen, leaving a smiling Doctor behind.

She returned a few minutes later to the small room holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It hadn't been too hard to find the ingredients she needed in his kitchen, and she'd managed to make it fairly quickly.

The Doctor sat up straighter when she entered the room, looking a lot more awake than he had before. He smiled brightly at Clara, reaching his hands out to take the soup from her hands.

"Thank you!" He said eagerly.

Clara chuckled, handing him a spoon before he started slurping the soup right from the bowl.

"It's my mom's recipe." She said, watching with a smile on her face as he tried the soup for the first time.

He spit it out back into the bowl as soon as the liquid touched his tongue, flailing on hand around while the other kept the bowl steady. "Hot! It's hot!"

"Yeah, it's soup." She told him teasingly.

"Well maybe I wanted soup that wouldn't burn me." He muttered, glaring at the bowl in his hands.

"Your mom's recipe? It's really good." He commented, smiling brightly after finally taking a sip without burning himself.

"She used to make it for me whenever I was sick." She told him, a faraway look in her eyes. "I always got better. She always said it was because of the magic in the soup."

The Doctor smiled, picturing a young Clara and her mother. "She sounds great, your mom."

"She was great." Clara said, snapping back to reality.

The Doctor frowned. "Was? I'm sorry I didn't-"

"Don't be sorry, it was a while ago. Just eat up, it'll help you get better." She told him quickly, changing the subject.

"You. Always taking care of me." He said, looking into her eyes as the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

He finished the soup before long, and Clara took the empty bowl back to the kitchen. She suggested they watch a movie, and the Doctor declined, at first, afraid he'd get her sick if they spent two hours snuggling up on the couch, but Clara wouldn't take no for an answer. After teasing him about his taste in movies, they finally settled on watching _Back to The Future, _one of the Doctor's personal favourites.

They sat on opposite sides of the couch, slowly moving closer and closer together as the movie went on. The Doctor moved his body bit by bit until he was leaning back comfortably against the side of the couch. By the time Marty got back to his own time, Clara's head was resting on his chest, her right arm wrapped around his waist. Her eyes were shut, her breathing was even.

Both of them were asleep.

**A/N: oops I kind of hurried the ending but I really wanted to post this before another week went by, you guys have already been waiting too long. I'll let you in on a secret, Clara might or might not get sick too and you might or might not get over protective Doctor taking care of her. **

**As always, thank you to anyone who read this, and I'd appreciate it very much if you reviewed :) Any suggestions on what whouffle should do in upcoming chapters? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: It's been way too long, but I finally got another chapter written! Enjoy :) **

**Chapter 4**

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the weight of someone else's head on his chest, and the stiff muscles in his neck that came with sleeping on the couch all night. Opening his eyes, he smiled down at the woman curled up against him, paying no mind to the pain in his joints.

She looked peaceful while she was sleeping, as if nothing bad could ever happen to her in her dreams, and for a moment, all he did was watch her. He knew if she woke up she would tease him about it none stop, but he couldn't help it.

After a moment, he kissed the top of her head softly, effectively waking her up.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

"Doctor?" She murmured drowsily, slowly opening her eyes. She pulled away from him as soon as she noticed her body practically draped over his, a slight shade of pink tinting her cheeks. "Did I fall asleep?"

"We uh, both did. You spent the night." Replied the doctor, trying not to look disappointed by the new distance between them. He sat up from his position on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck in order to relieve some of the tension.

She just nodded, stretching her arms over her head before dropping them and looking at him. "You look much better today." She smiled.

"Yeah, well, I have an amazing immune system you know." He said proudly, smiling back at her until a certain thought popped into his head. "How do you feel? I didn't get you sick did I?"

"I feel fine."

"Are you sure?" His voice filled with worry as he suddenly held a hand up to her forehead. "You feel a little warm." He muttered, before Clara had the chance to push his hand away.

"I'm fine, Doctor. You must not have been very contagious."

He frowned. "Maybe I should check your temperature just in case-"

"Doctor! I'm twenty-four years old, I can take care of myself. And I'm fine." She told him, an air of finality in her voice that even the Doctor wouldn't question.

"Okay, but if you start feeling even the slightest bit not okay, you should come up here to lie down and warm up."

She raised her eyebrows, fighting to keep a smirk off her face. "You talk as if you think I'm going to be hanging around here the whole day. Bit eager are we?"

"Uh, well... I just thought... I mean, you always..." He stammered, trying to think of a way to defend himself.

Clara laughed, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze to let him know she was just joking. "Come on, Chin boy, let's go make some breakfast."

She stood up from the couch, holding out a hand to help him up. Neither of them let go as they made their way to a doorway on the opposite side of the room and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was small, but there was still enough room to move about comfortably. There was marble counters on both sides of the room, and the walls were painted that same dark blue colour that he seemed to love. There was just enough room where the counters ended to fit a small four person table beside the refrigerator. It was one of the Doctor's favourite rooms in the house, and it was also currently filled with smoke.

"Uh, maybe scrambled eggs wasn't the best idea." He said, quickly opening a window to aerate the room.

Clara sighed, taking the pan he had been using from his hands to begin scraping the burnt food into the trash can with a fork.

He had offered to make breakfast for both of them, and not knowing any better, Clara had agreed. Little did she know that the Doctor wasn't a good cook at all. He'd managed to burn the scrambled eggs as she'd gone to the washroom, and his second attempt hadn't gone any better.

"Why don't we just have some cereal instead?" She suggested, setting down the now empty pan on the counter.

"I could try to make something else! How do you feel about fish fingers and custard for breakfast?"

Clara scrunched up her nose, shaking her head quickly. "I don't even want to ask how you thought of that."

"Hey! It's good, you just have to try it!"

"I think I'll just stick with cereal for now. Where do you keep it?" She asked.

The Doctor frowned, but reached over her head to open the correct cupboard anyway. "It's not fish fingers and custard, but I do have Frosted Flakes!" Suddenly, a wide smile appeared on his face again.

Clara smiled back, reaching up to pick up the box of cereal and set it down on the counter beside her. The Doctor quickly grabbed to bowls for them, followed by a pair of spoons, and poured the cereal for them.

He led Clara to the table, grabbing the milk on the way. They spent the next hour sitting there, talking about anything that came up long after they'd finished their breakfast.

The Doctor took a shower and got changed, but there wasn't much Clara could do besides wear the same clothes from last night until she got home. So it wasn't too surprising that everyone jumped to conclusions as soon as they got downstairs.

"Oh, I didn't know Clara stayed over last night." Said David innocently, causing Rose to raise her eyebrows at them, a smirk appearing on her face.

Unfortunately, Jack walked in just in time to hear those words. "Doc had a girl over? That's my boy!" He smiled widely, winking at the pair who'd just come down.

"No! I mean yes, but- I- We didn't do anything!" The Doctor quickly defended, his face turning red.

Clara looked down, trying to hide her blush as she made her way to the door. "Uh, I'll just go home and change." She said, waving quickly at everyone. "I'll see you later, Doctor."

"Jack!" The Doctor glared at him. "We didn't do anything, and you probably made her uncomfortable."

"I'll make it up to your girlfriend later." He said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "I could make it up to both of you at the same time, if you like."

The Doctor let out a scandalized gasp. "No! You won't be making it up to either of us! And she's not my girlfriend."  
Jack laughed, walking over to where Rose and David were standing, trying to hold in their own laughs.

"I'm going back upstairs." The Doctor muttered, sending one last glare in their direction before doing exactly that.

Jack turned to Rose, a smirk on his face. "They really haven't gotten together yet?"

She shook her head. "Nope, and it's already been two months. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Operation What Are You Waiting For Just Kiss Her Already is a go"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "We are not calling it that."

"That's what I called it when I got you and David together." Jack pointed out smugly.

"You weren't even in Paris when he first kissed me."

"Honey, that's what I wanted you to think."

A couple hours later, the Doctor's phone rang, notifying him he had a text message from Clara. He picked up the phone with a smile on his face, but it soon turned into a disappointed frown. Clara couldn't come over that day, she was still a nanny after all, and she had to take care of the kids.

He replied with a sad face and '_okay, but I'll still see you on Wednesday right?'_

It didn't take long for Clara to text back. '_Of course, Chin boy.'_

The Doctor smiled, just staring down at his phone for a minute, before gently putting it down and heading downstairs again to stack books.

**A/N: These chapters are just getting shorter and shorter I'm sorry! I'm having trouble finding time to write, school keeps me incredibly busy, but I'm not nearly done with this story! Stay tuned for Jack, Rose and Ten (well David) trying to get Whouffle together.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed or left me a message on tumblr :) and also thank you to anyone who left a suggestion! I'll probably be using most suggestions at some point in the story, they are all wonderful. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You guys have waited a really long time for me to update, so here, have a longer chapter. I'm sorry I take so long to update, I've been really busy with school, and I sadly don't have a lot of time to write anymore :( but I'm not giving up on this fic just yet don't you worry. And you can always bug me on tumblr if you think I'm taking too long and I'll try to write faster. **

**Chapter 5**

"Doctor, stop complaining and put on the bow tie"

"I just don't understand what's going on!"

"I told you, we're all going out to a fancy dinner."

"Then why am I the only one dressing up for this?"

Rose paused, looking at him for a second until she thought of an answer.

"Just trust me"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, but slowly finished putting on the bow tie, the final touch to the tuxedo Rose had picked out for him. It was at that moment that David walked in, giving a small thumbs up to Rose when he knew the Doctor wasn't looking.

"Wait, why aren't you wearing a tuxedo? I feel over dressed." The Doctor whined, turning to face his brother.

"Nah, you're not overdressed. If anything I'm underdressed, right Rose?"

"Right!" She agreed, moving over to put an arm around her boyfriend's waist as they both looked the Doctor over.

"You think she'll like him like that?" David said the quietly into her ear, but not quietly enough.

"She? Who's she?" The Doctor asked.

"No one!" Rose said quickly, shooting a glare at David and moving away from him. "Don't worry about it."

David coughed a bit awkwardly, before nodding towards the door. "We should get going, Jack's probably waiting for us."

All three of them headed towards David's car, driving off in the direction of what the Doctor suspected was not actually fancy restaurant. Wherever they were going, it definitely wasn't just dinner with family and friends. If that was the case, David and Rose would have bothered to get more dressed up, and neither of them would have tried half as hard to make him look good.

He had no idea where they could be going, but he did trust them enough to not argue anymore. He'd tried to find out what they were keeping from him before, and he'd failed. The only thing left to do now was wait until they got to their destination, then he'd find out exactly what they were planning.

"Alright. Here we are." They'd stopped in front of a large, fancy building, probably some high class hotel the Doctor had never heard of before.

"What are we doing here?" He asked, looking out the window of the car. There were expensive cars taking up most of the spaces in the parking lot, and the few people wandering outside the large front doors were certainly dressed to impress. The men wore tuxedos or fancy suits, while the women wore dresses that looked like they cost a fortune.

Before David could think of how to answer, Jack appeared, waving at them from the door. "Get off here, we'll... find a place to park."

"I really hope I can trust you." The Doctor muttered, knowing he wouldn't see them for the rest of the night.

"Yeah, yeah sure. See ya later Doctor." Said Rose.

Still confused, but definitely intrigued, the Doctor opened the door and stepped out of the car, making his way over to where Jack was waiting. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Jack laughed, clearly amused. "Not a chance."

Inside, Jack lead the Doctor to a large banquet hall. Small, white, round tables covered a large area nearer to the back of the hall, closer to the doors, there was a few chairs set around a large spot left open for dancing. People the Doctor didn't recognize crowded the room. Jack greeted almost everyone they walked past, introducing them to the Doctor quickly before moving on.

"Okay Doc, ready to have some fun?"

"Jack, I really don't understand what I'm doing here." The Doctor said, looking around the room with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." Jack grinned, putting an arm around his shoulders. "This whole thing was set up by Torchwood, you know, the company I work for. We're celebrating fifty years today."

The Doctor nodded, urging him to go on.

"I though it'd be a great way for you to get close to someone. It's a date."

"Oh... Oh!" Suddenly, the Doctor stepped away from Jack. "Uh, Jack... I don't really... I mean you're great and all... But I really don't like you that way."

For a moment, confusion covered Jack's face, before he finally got what the Doctor was trying to say and burst out laughing. "Don't worry Doc, I'm not here to seduce you, I've got my own date. Someone else is coming, she's getting ready right now."

"Oh." The Doctor's face turned a bright shade red.

Jack had been left him over fifteen minutes ago now, and still, whoever the Doctor's date was hadn't showed her face. Currently, he was having a mildly interesting conversation with an old lady about her grandchildren. He could manage to keep up the conversation while his mind wandered elsewhere.

He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't help but picture Clara walking through the doors at the front of the room, looking beautiful as ever. He had fun when he was with her, and he really wanted to spend time with her now. She'd know how to make this conversation more engaging, at least.

It was then that he heard a very familiar voice come from behind him.

"I didn't know you would look so good in a tuxedo."

His eyes widened, as he turned around to face the woman who'd just spoken.

"River?"

"Hello, sweetie."

"River? You moved to New York!' The Doctor exclaimed, surprised to see her standing there.

"I did, but that doesn't mean I can't visit now and then." She replied, grinning cheekily at him. "It's been a while."

The Doctor just stared at her, as if he still couldn't believe she was standing there.

"Don't be too happy about it." She said, the grin almost falling off her face when she realized he wasn't exactly ecstatic at seeing her again.

"I- I'm sorry, it's just... I didn't think I'd see you here. After you left for America... I'm surprised is all." He frowned, looking at her.

Was she supposed to be his date? Not even Jack could think that was a good idea could he? The Doctor and River had a fling a couple years ago, but everyone knew they just didn't work well. River wanted one thing from life, the Doctor wanted another, and neither of them was willing to compromise. Still, it went on for a year, until River moved to America with Amy and Rory. After that, they stopped talking, the Doctor was sad for a few weeks, of course, but he found a way to move on. He hadn't thought about River in a very long time.

"It's good to see you again." He said finally, sending a small smile her way. He could at least be polite.

"That's more like it." She answered, sitting down at one of the tables nearest to them. "Come, sit down, we have a lot to catch up on."

He moved slowly to the chair next to her, looking around for a moment to see if he couldn't find Jack and get him to explain why he'd asked River.

But as his eyes swept the room, he caught sight of someone else entirely. She was wearing a strapless red dress that flowed down all the way to the floor, and her hair was up for the occasion, a few stray pieces coming down to frame her face. He found himself captivated by the sight of her, his eyes glued to her figure as she made her way through the crowd.

It was only when he heard River calling his name that he snapped out of it. "Huh? Oh, sorry." He blushed, turning his head to face the woman.

"She's pretty." River noted, looking over at the girl who had captured all of the Doctor's attention. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yeah... I mean, no! Yes, she's pretty, but no, she's not my girlfriend!" He explained, his eyes drifting back towards the short brunette.

River smirked, not quite believing him. They'd had something, back in the day, but that was all in the past, and she was happy he could move on. "Well, I think I'm going to go get another drink. I guess we'll just have to catch up another time."

For a moment, the Doctor considered stopping her, he hadn't seen her in a long time after all. But she was already gone. Shrugging, he stood, making his way to Clara. She was looking around the room, as if she was waiting for someone to appear.

"Hi." He said, as he came up behind her.

She turned to face him quickly, eyes wide and almost spilling the drink she held in her hand. "Doctor! I didn't know you were coming to this."

"Me neither." He chuckled.

"I'm glad you are. Jack left me on my own and I don't know anyone here."

"Jack invited you too?"

"Yeah. He said it would fun."

The Doctor's felt a hurtful pang in his chest, but he didn't understand it. So what if Clara was Jack's date. It didn't change anything between them, they were just friends. And yet, he couldn't help but feel extremely disappointed.

"I... I didn't know you and Jack were... close."

For a moment, Clara looked confused, before a wave of realization crossed her face. "Oh! No, I'm not here _with _Jack." She laughed.

"Oh." Relief poured over him. She wasn't dating Jack, he'd just invited her like he'd invited him. "That's good."

"Is it?" Clara raised her eyebrows at him. "Why's that?"

"Uhh... Because... I wouldn't want you to get hurt?" It came out more like a question than a statement.

Clara laughed. "I think I can take care of myself." She told him with a smirk. After a moment, Clara reached up and took one of his arms. "Come on Chin boy, let's dance."

Before he could protest, she pulled him to the crowded dance floor. She turned around to face him, stepping closer and setting her hand on his shoulder while he just stood there.

"I... Clara, I don't really... I don't dance."

"Come on. I'll teach you." She laughed. "Give me your hand, and put the other on my waist."

The Doctor did as he was told, his face reddening and his heart beat quickening when he realized how close they were standing. "Like that?"

"Perfect." Clara beamed at him. "Now look at my feet and mirror what I'm doing... there... good!"

The Doctor laughed, moving his feet the way Clara showed him. "I've got it!" He exclaimed proudly. Just as the words left his mouth however, he stepped on Clara's foot.

"Ow!"

"Crap! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, it's alright." She reassured him. "It's not the first time I've been stepped on."

"Maybe it's best if we just... sway... for a bit."

Clara laughed. "If that's what you want."

For the rest of the song, they stood in each others arms, swaying to the music and enjoying each other's company.

"So, why did Jack invite you?"

"Apparently I'm being set up on a blind date."

Clara chuckled nervously. "You too, huh?"

He nodded. "I still haven't met her though, Jack didn't bother staying long enough to introduce us."

"Uh... Doctor?" She raised her eyebrows, looking over his shoulder.

"What is it?" He turned around to see none other than Jack Harkness, staring at them with a wide smile on his face. The man gave them both a thumbs up before turning to his real date, a man the Doctor knew as Ianto.

Clara laughed. "I think we may have been set up on a date."

The Doctor turned back to her, his brows furrowed. "What, me and you? No! No way... I mean, unless you'd want to be on a date with me... In which case it's not like I would say no..." The last part came out a bit more hopeful than he'd meant for.

Clara looked at him, the corners of her mouth turning up slowly into a smile. "Ask me properly."

"What?" His heart started to beat even faster than it had before. Was she asking him to ask her out? On a date?

"You heard me. If you wouldn't mind going on a date with me, ask me." She repeated, stepping out of his embrace and crossing her arms.

"Uh..." He couldn't think properly. Was this really happening? "do you... want to go out with me?"

Clara pursed her lips, pretending to think about it for a few moments and making the Doctor more and more nervous with each passing second. He shifted from foot to foot, as he waited for an answer.

"If you don-"

"Okay." She cut him off, a bright smile appearing on her face. "We'll go on a date."

"Great! Good!"

She laughed at how excited he sounded, shaking her head at him. "But tonight doesn't count. This whole thing was set up by Jack, we can't give him the satisfaction."

The Doctor nodded, knowing that if Jack would forever hold it over their heads if he was the one to get them together. "Do I still get a last dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

The rest of night was spent dancing and laughing, and by the end, neither of them wanted to go home alone. But Clara had already made her mind up that this wasn't a date, and she wasn't going to go back on that now. So they said goodnight, and the Doctor went back to the book shop with a smile on his face, his cheek still tingling from the feel of Clara's lips.

**A/N: So next chapter will be their date :) Thank you for reading this, nd especially to the people that reviewed, you guys are awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow I somehow managed to get another chapter written! I'm sorry about the long wait between updates, I'm trying my best, but I've suddenly gotten extremely busy this year :/ If you think I'm taking to long, feel free to yell at me via reviews or my tumblr inbox, it might motivate me to sit down and write. Thank you to anyone who has reviewed or sent me messages! :D They make me very happy, as well as anyone who follows or who favourited this story 3 **

**Anyway, onto the show. **

**Chapter 6**

It was a full two weeks before the Doctor and Clara saw each other again. It seemed like whenever she was free, he wasn't, and vice versa. Even Jack's numerous attempts to set them up again failed.

They texted constantly to make up for not seeing each other face to face, but they both knew it wasn't the same. They missed each other, and by the end of the second week they were desperate for each other's company.

"Doctor!"

The sound of her voice instantly caused his heart to skip a beat, and brought a bright smile to his face.

"Clara!" He turned around to see her standing at the front door. Setting down the books he'd been stacking, he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her body. She giggled as he picked her up, spinning around twice before setting her down.

"Miss me?" She raised her eyebrows at him, but the smile on her face revealed she was just as happy to see him.

"Lots." He admitted, kissing her on the forehead. "I don't like not seeing you around."

"I don't like it very much either. But we're both free now... And we've got that date to plan." She reminded him, grabbing hold of his hand and leading him towards their favourite couch, the one they'd sat on the night they met.

They both settled onto the couch comfortably, leaning against each other. It wasn't any different from the way they sat before, but for some reason, it felt different. Not in a bad way, of course. Different in a good way, in a very good way.

"So, this date. Dinner and a movie?" Clara asked, curious about what the Doctor had in mind.

"Nope." He replied, smirking at her. "I have it all planned out already, but it's a surprise."

"Oh come on, just tell me." Clara said nudging him with her shoulder.

"No."

"Please?"

"Pouting is not going to work on me."

Clara only pouted harder, but the Doctor held his ground. For a moment, the Doctor thought he'd actually won, but a devilish smile appeared on Clara's face, and she started to lean in slowly.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me?" He could feel her breath on his lips. He gulped loudly, the smirk disappearing from his face.

"N-no. I mean yes. I mean... I'm sure I don't want to tell you." He replied, stuttering over his own words.

She leaned in even closer, their lips only centimetres apart. "Absolutely sure."

He wasn't sure where the burst of confidence came from, but instead of answering, he leaned forward himself. Their lips were just about to meet when-

"Clara!"

They jumped apart at the sound of Rose's cheerful voice, like two teenagers getting caught by their parents.

"Oh, was I interrupting something?" Rose asked, noticing the looks on their faces.

"Uh... No! Not at all!" The Doctor answered, standing up quickly from the couch. "I'll just… go make us all some tea." He said, heading past Rose and up the stairs to the flats. Leaving a very confused Rose and a disappointed Clara behind.

They didn't get another moment alone for the rest of the day. After a little while, David and Jack joined them as well, sitting themselves down on the couches next to them. The Doctor made tea for everyone, sending Clara an apologetic smile as he handed a cup to her. Clara squeezed his hand with her own, her own smile curling into a smile to let him know she didn't mind that much. She enjoyed the company, and it wasn't just the Doctor she hadn't seen in a long time.

Catching up with everyone was enjoyable. She told Rose and David about her week, and cracked jokes with Jack about the Doctor's love for bow ties. She blushed almost as brightly as the Doctor when they were asked about their relationship, but they both denied there was anything between them. There was no use telling the, what had happened at the "date" Jack had set up, they'd both be bombarded with questions, and worst of all, Jack would never let them forget that he was the one who brought them together.

The next day, Clara got to the bookstore bright and early. The Doctor had texted her last night and warned her not to skip breakfast and meet him at the store instead. She obliged happily, putting on one of her usual outfits of a dress and tights under her leather jacket.

She smiled the moment she saw him sat on one of the couches inside, waiting impatiently for her to get there. His legs were bouncing up and down, and he kept repositioning his arms, as if he didn't know what to do with them.

"Waiting for someone?" She asked, coming up behind him.

He instantly stood up and faced her, smiling brightly. "Not anymore." He replied, holding out a hand for her to take.

She didn't hesitate to lace their fingers together, giggling when he pulled her towards the door.

"Come on! We don't want to be late for our date!"

They were already past the front doors when the Doctor suddenly stopped. "Wait! I forgot something! Uh, wait right here." He told Clara, dropping her hand and sprinting back through the doors.

Clara raised her eyebrows when she saw what he brought back out. "A picnic basket We're having a picnic? It's kind of cold for that don't you think?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not cold were we're going." He promised, grabbing hold of her hand once more.

They walked for what seemed like almost an hour, before the Doctor stopped just outside a large, dome shaped building. He smiled expectantly at Clara, but she looked confused.

"A planetarium?" She asked.  
"Yep! I'm good friends with the man who runs it, Christopher." He smiled proudly. "They're closing it down, turning it into some kind of 4D attraction, so Chris is letting me use it."

"Well then Chin boy, let's go inside." Clara said, smiling back at him.

There was no one else inside, no one in the lobby, or in the halls, it seemed like the place was deserted. The Doctor however, didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with that.

"Doctor, where is everyone?" She asked as they walked through the building.

"I told you, the place is closed." He said cheerfully.

"Yeah but, shouldn't there still be people? They wouldn't just leave the door open." Clara pointed out.

"Of course they wouldn't." He agreed, smiling widely. "Chris has got to be here somewhere, probably setting up."

"Setting up?"

The Doctor simply smiled, not bothering to explain. "Ah! Here we are!"

He opened a set of heavy doors, allowing Clara to step through first. The large room was dark, but there was a few candles and a blanket set out on top of a flat platform. She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at the sight. It was unusual, a picnic in a planetarium, complete with a blanket and candles, but it was so _him_. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"So, what do you think?" He walked up behind her, his voice quiet but hopeful.

"I think…" She turned around to face him, gazing into his eyes for a moment before answering. "It's amazing, Doctor."

He took her hand, leading her to the blanket. He put down the basket, before sitting down beside it and pulling her down gently so she was leaning against him, her back against his chest.

"Wait until you see the best part." he whispered.

She smiled excitedly at him. "What's the best part?"

"You'll see. Chris!" He called out into the darkness around them.

There was a flash, and suddenly the walls were filled with colour. All around them there were deep blues and purples and pinks, sprinkled with bright white stars of every size. A gasp escaped Clara's lips as she looked around the room in awe.

"It's beautiful." She breathed out.

"It's always been an interest of mine. Space. The stars and the planets, all the galaxies that haven't even been discovered yet. You're right, beautiful." He talked with a dreamy look in his eyes, but he wasn't looking around like Clara was, he was looking at her.

She turned around to look at him, noticing how the colours of all the different nebulas lit his face. Neither of them said anything, just looked into each other's eyes. It was Clara who leaned in first, lifting her chin in order to reach his lips with her own.

The Doctor was surprised at first, but it only took him a moment to realize what was happening. He brought his hands up to cup her face, responding to the kiss by moving his lips against hers.

It was a moment they'd both dreamt about more than they'd care to admit, but nothing could compare to the actual moment, it was better than either of them had imagined.

A few moments of kissing later, Clara pulled away, a light shade of pink tinting her cheeks. Her bright smile mirrored his.

"I've been waiting to do that for a long time." She admitted.

"Me too."

**A/N: So, what did you guys think? Am I terrible at writing dates? Did you like it? Please review and tell me your thoughts! **

**Also I know the London planetarium closed in 2006 (I think) but for the purpose of the story I'm going to say it closed a couple years later. (Also I've never been to a planetarium, so I made up what it looks like from what it's been described to me as, sorry if that's not what it is at all :P)**

**Until next time! :)**


End file.
